Method of making pre-cooked filled pasta products by co-extrusion

Abstract

A method and apparatus for preparing quick cooking and precooked filled pasta products by preconditioning a blend of a starch material with steam and small amounts of an internal lubricant to produce a semi-moist and partially cooked blend which is cooked and cooled under controlled conditions in a co-rotating twin screw extruder with low shear screw configuration and then co-extruded into the final filled pasta product by extruding the blend through a die, and cutting the extrudate, which may then be dried or otherwise processed.

What we claim: 
     
       1. A method of producing pre-cooked pasta comprising the steps of extruding an elongate pre-cooked pasta shell which contains a pre-cooked filler material; advancing the extruded pasta shell along a predetermined path; partitioning the pasta shell into pasta segments each having axial ends and shaping each segment to have a predetermined configuration and sealing the axial ends to capture the filler material within each segment of the pasta shell; and drying the segments. 
     
     
       2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-cooked pasta shell is adjusted to a temperature in excess of about 70° C. at the point of extrusion. 
     
     
       3. The method of claim 1, wherein the filler material is selected from the group consisting of meats, cheeses and vegetables. 
     
     
       4. A method of producing a filler pre-cooked pasta product comprising the steps of co-extruding an elongate pre-cooked pasta shell and a pre-cooked filler material to make a filled elongate pasta; advancing the filled elongate pasta shell along a predetermined path; partitioning the filled elongate pasta shell into filled pasta segments each having axial ends and shaping each segment to have a predetermined configuration and sealing the axial ends to capture the filler material within each segment of the pasta shell; and drying the segments. 
     
     
       5. The method of claim 4, wherein the pasta shell is adjusted to a temperature in excess of about 70° C. at the point of extrusion. 
     
     
       6. The method of claim 4, wherein the filler material is selected from the group consisting of meats, cheeses and vegetables.